Self-closing clothes hanger and door knocker



Oct. 11, 1949. w. STADER SELF-CLOSING CLOTHES HANGER AND DOOR KNOCKER Filed March 4, .1946

INVENTOR Patented Oct. 11 194 9 SELF-CLOSING CLOTHES HANGER AND DOOR KNOCKER William Stader, Perkasie Borough, Pa. Application March 4, 1946, Serial No. 651,895

This invention relates to a self-closing clothes hanger particularly designed for hanging clothes with or without the use of wire hangers on doors, closets, clothes trees, or the like.

The object of this invention is to provide a clothes hanger of the character referred to, which is simple in structure, economical to. manufacture, and eflicient in operation.

A further object; of the invention is to provide a clothes hanger which can be applied easily to a door, inside of a clothes closet or a clothesv a self-closing clothes hanger that will not puncture the wall or cause any other accident when not in use but by being self-closing will be safe, ornamental and useful.

In common or rigid-type clothes hangers, difficulty anddanger have hereto been experienced by reasons of the doors being opened too far and the clothes hanger puncturing the wall. Frequently, the door is opened when another person is on the other side of the door, causing him to be injured. It frequently happens that a person in a dark room will walk into a rigid-type clothes hanger and will injure his eye, or other parts of the anatomy.

Accordingly, it is among the special purposes of the present invention to avoid the objections and defects noted above and to provide a selfclosing clothes hanger which may be fastened to. doors.

In automobiles, the clothes hanger may be screwed to the ribs of the car body or attached to the windows with one of the releasing suction cups, as disclosed in Patents 1,400,573 and 2,209,424.

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the self-closing clothes hanger shown in the closed position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device in 3 Claims. (01. 211-49) 2 as onthe line 5-5 of Figure 4 to illustrate the working parts.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary back view of the device in the open position. v

As illustrated in the drawings, the body portion I is constructed from a channel metal stock having a web l0 and legs H, although it may be plastic, wood, or the like. The lower portion is milled out at l2 to provide a positive stop for the inner channel 2. This inner channel is also of channel material having a web l3 and legs I l corresponding to'the body channel. It is inverted, placed within the main body channel and the outer channel or body portion I to cause and pivoted thereto, as by the pin 3 extending through the legs of both channel members.

The inner channel is notched, as at 20, for

wire clothes hangers or the like, as shown in Figure 2. A spiral spring 4 is confined on the pin 3 so as to automatically close the inner channel 2 when weight or objects are removed from it. The spring has its ends l5 and I6 bearing against and reacting on the irmer channel 2 this operation.

The outer channel I is provided with a suction cup 5 (Figure 4) fastened through a hole l! in the web ill of thechannel member I and is made releasable by the flat spring 6 which is fastened to the outer channel preferably by means of the rivets l.

From the above description, it will be seen that the flat spring 6 urged against the end of f the suction cup 5 and the aperture 8 in the sucthe open position showing the notches on the inner channel for receiving wire hangers and th like.

Figure 3 is a top view showing the mounting in a schematically shown element.

Figure 4 is anelevational view of a modification of the self-closing clothes hanger with the releasable suction cup.

Figure 5 is a side view with the releasable suction cup attached-for mounting on automobile windows or other'glass or non-porous surfaces;

tion cup, will release the clothes hanger when the spring 6 is pulled back slightly. Reference to the cross-sectional view (Figure 5) illustrates the abutment of the inner channel 2 with the outer channel I at the milled portion l2, making a positive stop for the inner channel 2 when it is in the open position. Since the inner channel 2 is disposed in nested relationship or within the channel I when the device is in the closed condition, an operator member must be provided for the inner channel member 2. The opening l8 forms a finger grip which is at the upper end of the channel 2 and provides the preferred operator member, ,as the use of this expedient obviates objectionable projections from the channel 2.

vThe outer channel I, shown in Figure 2, is provided with holes'l9 in the web thereof. These holes accommodate screws 9 for permanent in- I stallations.

I claim:

'1. A self-closing clothes hanger support comprising a channel-shaped base which includes a web, substantially parallel legs and an open upper and lower end, a stop disposed in said open lower end, a channel-shaped inner member which a part of the hanger being shown broken away includes inner legs and a web portion, said inner assasss legs being spaced apart such a distance as to fit between said first-mentioned legs, a pivot pin carried by 'said first-mentioned legs and passed through said inner legs, thereby pivotally connecting said inner member with said base, a spring disposed on said pin and having ends reacting respectively on said inner member 'and said base opposing the pivotal operation of said inner member, the lower efid of said web portion engaging" said stop limiting the pivotal movement of said member with respect to said base, and said inner legs having hook accommodating recesses at the outer edges thereof.

2. A self-closing clothes hanger support comprising a'channel-shapedbase which includes a web, substantially parallel legs and an open upe per and lower end, a stop disposed in said open lower end, a channel-shaped inner member which includes inner legs and a web portion, said inner legs being spaced apart such a distance as to ill;

' web, substantially parallel and an open upper and lower end, a stop iormed in said weband disposed in said open lower end, a. channelshap'ed-inner member which includes inner legs and a web portion, said inner legs being spacedapart such a distance as to fit between said firstoperation oi said inner member, the lower end or ,to said base,

said web portion engaging said stop limiting the pivotal movement of said member with respect said inner, legs having hook accommodating recesses at the outer edges thereof,

between said first-mentioned'lega. a pivot pin carried by'said first-mentioned legs and passed through said inner legs, thereby pivotally con necting said inner member with said base, a spring disposed on said pin and having ends reacting respectively on said inner member and said base opposingthe pivotal operation or said inner member, the lower end of said web portion engaging said stop limiting the pivotal movement of said member with respect to said base, said inner legs having hook accommodating recesses at the outer edges thereof, and a finger grip opening at the top of said inner member anddisposed in the open upper end of said base so ,as to be accessible from the top of said base when said inner member is disposed within said channel-shaped base.

3. A self-closing clothes hanger support comprising a channel-shaped base which includes a a ringer grip opening at the top of said inner member and disposed in the open upper end-oi said base so as to be accessible from the top or said base when said inner member is disposed within said channel-shaped base, and said web having at least one aperture to accommodate a device for anchoring the base.

s'ranm REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in. the

idle oi this patent: K

STATES PATENTS Number Name n Date 1 325,196 Caldwell Aug. 25, 1885 350,743 Higbee Oct. 12, 1886 1,705,203 Patterson Mar. 12, 1929 1,928,766 Schmidt Oct. 3, 1933 1,982,972 Roosendaei Dec. 4, 1934' 2,209,424

Shlpinan et a1. July 30, 1940 

